xii, 327 pages : 24 cm

"From the 1950s onward, Americans were quite receptive to a view of World War Two propagated by many Germans on how the war was fought on the Eastern Front in Russia. Through a network of former high-ranking Wehrmacht and current Bundeswehr officers who had served in Russia, Germans were able to convince Americans that the German army had fought a "clean" war in the East and that atrocities there were committed solely by Nazi organizations. This view fit well with the prevailing anti-Communism of the Cold War and continues to this day in a broad subculture of general readers, German military enthusiasts, wargame aficionados, military paraphernalia collectors, and reenactors who tend to romanticize the German military."--Jacket

Includes bibliographical references (pages 303-317) and index

Americans experience the war in Russia, 1941-1945 -- The Cold War and the emergence of a lost cause mythology -- The German generals talk, write, and network -- Memoirs, novels, and popular histories -- Winning hearts and minds : the Germans interpret the war for the United States public -- The gurus -- Wargames, the internet, and the popular culture of the romancers -- Romancing the war : re-enactors and "What if" history -- Conclusion

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